The first Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé destined for the USA has been bought at a charity auction held during the annual Naples Winter Wine festival in Florida for $2million. More than $1.6 million will go to the Naples Children and Education Foundation, which supports charitable and educational programmes to improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of underprivileged or at-risk children.

The car was bought by a resident of Naples, who will take delivery of the car later this year. The winning bid of $2 million is the single highest price paid for any lot in the event’s seven-year history and, it is believed, makes this Phantom Drophead Coupé the most expensive new car ever sold in the USA.

Last January 22, 2007, Nissan Motor Company unveiled its newest minicar dubbed the “Pino”. This is Nissan’s fourth minicar model after the Moco, Clipper and Otti effectively beefing up Nissan’s line up in the fast-growing minicar segment. Envisioned with low price and low-fuel consumption in mind, the Pino is also set apart from every other minicar with its simple and understated design and its user-friendly features.

BMW Group Middle East has announced record sales in the GCC countries with 11,250 units, the highest ever volume achieved in the Gulf region. The boost in sales was led by AGMC’s double digit growth, Dubai and Northern Emirates’ exclusive importer for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, with a 12 per cent sales increase achieving 3,156 units in comparison to last year’s 2,830.

The German BMW unveiled a new BMW 1 series model after making a lot of developments and adding more technical devices and options such as electric power steering, brake energy regeneration, automatic start-stop function, and high-precision direct injection cut fuel consumption and emissions. The new 2007/2008 BMW 1 series is a three door hatchback.

Every car owner knows how this four-letter word can mean disaster to any vehicle. From the littlest ding and dent, rust can slowly and surely eat its way through the metal parts without you knowing it. Soon you’ll find out how much of your car’s metal parts have been damaged. By then you would have to shell out hundreds, possibly even thousands of your hard-earned money to repair rust damage. But you don’t have to allow rust to overwhelm your car.

Indeed, the 2007 North American Auto Show was the biggest showcase of new automotive technologies so far this year. Concept upon concept vehicles were exhibited to the delight (and sometimes amusement) of the attendees. One of the best stand-outs among the new concept vehicles unveiled at the show was Ford’s all-new sedan concept with a rather unwieldy name, Interceptor. Based on the popular Mustang, the Interceptor is designed with performance, power and attitude in mind. It’s basically a lengthened Mustang with distinctive, bold and dramatic styling cues.

The iconic MINI family just got bigger! Three new MINI models were launched at the ongoing 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. New versions of the MINI Cooper and Cooper S were launched along with the brand new MINI Convertible Sidewalk. The new MINI Cooper S runs on a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine squeezing 172 horsepower and 177 ft.-lb. of torque.

Maintaining your car doesn’t have to be cost too much if you know how to handle some of the most basic car maintenance problems. If you have the proper skill and the proper tools to go with it, you can pretty much skip the trip to your mechanic and save up on your car maintenance expenses. However, your toolbox should always have the following tools and equipments. You’ll never know when you’re going to need them so you better have them ready in your trunk or garage.

1. Jack and jack stands – Most car problems require you to elevate the car to provide access to the particular vehicle parts. You wouldn’t be able to do such procedures as changing tires without the help of a jack and jack stands. It’s always wise to have a strong jack in your trunk in case you will need one.
2. Vice Grips – These are useful for loosening and tightening any part in your car.
3. Oil wrench – An oil change is a necessity once every 3,000 miles. Changing the oil will be impossible without having an oil wrench, so you better get one for your toolbox.

Performance and sporty driving – these are the inspirations that gave life to the new Kia Kue concept unveiled at the ongoing 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, USA. The bold new design direction introduced in the Kia Kue expectedly drew raves from attendees of the 2007 Detroit show. The new concept from Kia offers a fresh approach to the concept of crossover utility vehicles with its sleek and stylish exterior. Clean aggressive line merge with an aerodynamic design to create a stunning vehicle with a modern visage. Inside, the athletic theme continues with the understated elegance of the Kue’s interiors.